Tejari CEO outlines Middle East's e-commerce potential for members of global information society

More than 18,000 people, including 44 government leaders, attended the five-day event.

The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) is a global UN summit that addresses the questions of internet governance and finance. WSIS is a leading platform for discussion on e-business and is aimed at building a truly global information society.

"Middle East and North Africa is one of the fastest-growing regional markets for e-business, and Tejari saw this WSIS gathering in Tunis as an opportunity to herald the tangible advancements that have been made in online procurement since the first phase of the Summit in December 2003,"

said Omar Hijazi, Tejari's CEO.

Hijazi called for further adoption of Internet procurement principles across the region during his address at the e-business workshop entitled "Challenges and Opportunities of E-Business in a Global World." He spoke at the WSA (World Summit Award) forum - a parallel affiliated event for the private sector.

Hijazi also took time out from WSIS proceedings to meet Professor Peter Bruck, the chairman of the World Summit Award, to discuss the advancement of e-commerce in the Middle East and how global opportunities can be created for organizations in the region. On the sidelines of the WSIS event, Hijazi and Tejari marketing director Abdulla Salman later attended the WSA gala along with heads of state from Tunisia, Senegal, Armenia, and Haiti.

Tejari has maintained relations with the WSIS for a number of years, having won the prestigious WSIS "Best e-content" award in 2003. The online marketplace also appears in the WSIS 2005 UAE ICT report, as a success story in the country's e-commerce sector.